the endless crisis as an instrument of power agamben

8/20/2019 The Endless Crisis as an Instrument of Power Agamben

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The Endless Crisis as an Instrument of Power: In conversation with Giorgio

Agamben

By / 04 June 2013

A Latin empire against the German dominance? The Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben

eplains his much!discussed thesis" Apparentl#$ he had been misunderstood"

Professor Agamben, when you floated the idea in March of a ‘Latin imperium’ against Germanic

domination in Europe, could you have imagined the powerful resonance this contention wouldhave !n the meantime your essay has been translated into countless languages and passionately

discussed across half the continent"

No, I didn’t expect this. But I believe in the powe o! wods, when they "e spo#en "t the i$ht

ti%e.

!s the fracture in the European #nion really between the economies and ways of life of the‘Germanic’ north and the ‘Latin’ south

I would li#e to %"#e cle" i$ht "w"y th"t %y thesis h"s been ex"$$e"ted by &oun"lists "nd

thee!oe %isepesented. Its title, '(he )"tin e%pie should st"t " counte*"tt"c#’, w"s supplied by the editos o! Lib$ration "nd w"s t"#en up by the +e%"n %edi". It’s not so%ethin$ I eve

s"id. ow could I countepose )"tin cultue to +e%"n, when "ny intelli$ent -uope"n #nows

th"t It"li"n cultue o! the en"iss"nce o the cultue o! cl"ssic"l +eece is tod"y co%pletely p"to! +e%"n cultue, which econceived it "nd "ppopi"ted it

%o, no dominant ‘Latin empire’ &o uncultivated Germans



In -uope, the identity o! evey cultue "lw"ys lies "t the !onties. +e%"n such "s

inc#el%"nn o ldelin could be %oe +ee# th"n the +ee#s. nd " loentine li#e "ntecould !eel &ust "s +e%"n "s the 5w"bi"n e%peo edeic# II. (h"t is pecisely wh"t %"#es up

-uope6 " p"ticul"ity th"t ti%e "nd "$"in ovesteps n"tion"l "nd cultu"l !onties. (he ob&ect o!

%y citicis% w"s not +e%"ny, but "the the w"y in which the -uope"n 7nion h"s beenconstucted, th"t is, on "n exclusively econo%ic b"sis. 5o not only h"ve ou spiitu"l "nd cultu"l

oots been i$noed, but "lso ou politic"l "nd le$"l ones. I! this w"s he"d "s " citicis% o!

+e%"ny, it is only bec"use +e%"ny, bec"use o! its do%in"nt position "nd despite itsexception"l philosophic"l t"dition, "ppe"s un"ble "t the pesent ti%e to conceive o! " -uope

b"sed on "nythin$ %oe th"n &ust the euo "nd econo%ics.

!n what way has the E# denied its political and legal roots

hen we spe"# o! -uope tod"y, we "e !"ced with the $i$"ntic epession o! " p"in!ul "nd yet

obvious tuth6 -uope’s so*c"lled constitution is ille$iti%"te. (he text th"t w"s put thou$h unde

this n"%e w"s neve voted by the peoples. 8 when it w"s put to " vote, "s in "nce "nd the Nethel"nds in 2009, it w"s !ont"lly e&ected. )e$"lly spe"#in$, thee!oe, wh"t we h"ve hee is

not " constitution, but on the cont"y " te"ty between $oven%ents6 inten"tion"l l"w, notconstitution"l l"w. Just ecently, the vey espected +e%"n le$"l schol" iete +i%% ec"lled

the !"ct th"t " -uope"n constitution l"c#s the !und"%ent"l, de%oc"tic ele%ent, since the

-uope"n citi:ens wee not "llowed to decide on it. nd now the whole po&ect o! "ti!ic"tion bythe peoples h"s been silently put on ice.

'hat is indeed the famous ‘democratic deficit’ in the European system"

e shouldn’t lose si$ht o! this. Joun"lists, p"ticul"ly in +e%"ny, h"ve epo"ched %e with

undest"ndin$ nothin$ o! de%oc"cy, but they should conside !ist o! "ll th"t the -7 is "

co%%unity b"sed on te"ties between st"tes, "nd si%ply dis$uised with " de%oc"ticconstitution. (he ide" o! -uope "s " constitution*$ivin$ powe is " specte th"t no one ventues

to con&ue up "ny %oe. But only with " v"lid constitution could -uope"n institutions e$"in

thei le$iti%"cy.

(oes this mean that you see the European #nion as an illegal body

Not ille$"l, but ille$iti%"te. )e$"lity is " ;uestion o! the ules o! exetion o! powe< le$iti%"cy isthe pinciple th"t undelies these ules. )e$"l te"ties "e cet"inly not &ust !o%"lities, but they

e!lect " soci"l e"lity. It is undest"nd"ble thee!oe th"t "n institution without " constitution

c"nnot !ollow " $enuine policy, but th"t e"ch -uope"n st"te continues "ctin$ "ccodin$ to itse$oistic inteest = "nd tod"y this evidently %e"ns "bove "ll econo%ic inteest. (he lowest

co%%on deno%in"to o! unity is "chieved when -uope "ppe"s "s " v"ss"l o! the 7nited 5t"tes

"nd t"#es p"t in w"s th"t in no w"y lie in the co%%on inteest, to s"y nothin$ o! the will o! the people. nu%be o! the !oundin$ st"tes o! the -7 = such "s It"ly with its %"ny %eic"n

%ilit"y b"ses = "e %oe in the w"y o! potecto"tes th"n soveei$n st"tes. In politics "nd

%ilit"ily thee is "n tl"ntic "lli"nce, but cet"inly no -uope.



)ou’d therefore prefer a Latin imperium, whose way of life the ‘Germans’ would have to adapt

to, to the E#"

No, it w"s peh"ps "the povoc"tively th"t I too# up lex"nde >o&?ve’s po&ect o! " ')"tin

i%peiu%’. In the @iddle $es people "t le"st #new th"t " unity o! di!!eent politic"l societies

h"d to %e"n %oe th"n " puely politic"l society. t th"t ti%e, the unitin$ bond w"s sou$ht inAhisti"nity. (od"y I believe th"t this le$iti%"tion %ust be sou$ht in -uope’s histoy "nd its

cultu"l t"ditions. In cont"st to si"ns "nd %eic"ns, !o who% histoy %e"ns so%ethin$

co%pletely di!!eent, -uope"ns "lw"ys encounte thei tuth in " di"lo$ue with thei p"st. (he p"st !o us %e"ns not only " cultu"l inheit"nce "nd t"dition, but " b"sic "nthopolo$ic"l

condition. I! we wee to i$noe ou own histoy, we could only penet"te into the p"st

"cheolo$ic"lly. (he p"st !o us would beco%e " distinct li!e !o%. -uope h"s " speci"l

el"tionship to its cities, its "tistic te"sues, its l"ndsc"pes. (his is wh"t -uope e"lly consistso!. nd this is whee the suviv"l o! -uope lies.

%o Europe is first of all a life form, a historical life feeling

es, th"t is why in %y "ticle I insisted th"t we h"ve uncondition"lly to peseve ou distinctive

!o%s o! li!e. hen they bo%bed the +e%"n cities, the llies "lso #new th"t they could destoy+e%"n identity. In the s"%e w"y, specul"tos "e destoyin$ the It"li"n l"ndsc"pe tod"y with

concete, %otow"ys "nd expessw"ys. (his does not &ust %e"n obbin$ us o! ou popety, but o!

ou histoic"l identity.

%o should the E# emphasi*e differences rather than harmoni*ation

Ceh"ps thee is nowhee else in the wold, "p"t !o% -uope, whee such " v"iety o! cultues"nd li!e !o%s is peceptible = "t le"st "t v"lu"ble %o%ents. -"lie on, "s I see it, politics w"s

expessed in the ide" o! the o%"n e%pie, l"te the o%"n*+e%"n e%pie. (he whole howeve

"lw"ys le!t the p"ticul"ities o! the peoples int"ct. It is not e"sy to s"y wh"t could e%e$e tod"yin pl"ce o! this. But ;uite cet"inly " politic"l entity by the n"%e o! -uope c"n only poceed

!o% this "w"eness o! the p"st. It is pecisely !o this e"son th"t the pesent cisis sti#es %e "s

so d"n$eous. e h"ve to i%"$ine unity !ist o! "ll unde "n "w"eness o! di!!eences. But ;uitecont"y to this, in the -uope"n st"tes, schools "nd univesities "e bein$ de%olished "nd

!in"nci"lly unde%ined, the vey institutions th"t should pepetu"te ou cultue "nd "ouse livin$

cont"ct between p"st "nd pesent. (his unde%inin$ $oes to$ethe with " $owin$

%useu%i!ic"tion o! the p"st. e h"ve the be$innin$ o! this in %"ny cities th"t "e t"ns!o%edinto histoic"l :ones, "nd in which the inh"bit"nts "e !oced to !eel the%selves touists in thei

own li!e wold.

!s this creeping museumification the counterpart of a creeping impoverishment

It is ;uite cle" th"t we "e not &ust !"ced with econo%ic poble%s, but with the existence o!-uope "s " whole = st"tin$ with ou el"tionship to the p"st. (he only pl"ce in which the p"st

c"n live is the pesent. nd i! the pesent no lon$e peceives its own p"st "s so%ethin$ livin$,

then univesities "nd %useu%s beco%e poble%"tic. It is ;uite evident th"t thee "e !oces "t

wo# in -uope tod"y th"t see# to %"nipul"te ou identity, by be"#in$ the u%bilic"l cod th"t



still lin#s us with ou p"st. i!!eences "e "the bein$ levelled out. But -uope c"n only be ou

!utue i! we %"#e cle" to ouselves th"t this %e"ns !ist o! "ll ou p"st. nd this p"st is bein$

ince"sin$ly li;uid"ted.

!s the crisis that is present on all sides then the form of e+pression of a whole system of rule,

directed at our everyday life

(he concept 'cisis’ h"s indeed beco%e " %otto o! %oden politics, "nd !o " lon$ ti%e it h"s

been p"t o! no%"lity in "ny se$%ent o! soci"l li!e. (he vey wod expesses two se%"ntic oots6the %edic"l one, e!ein$ to the couse o! "n illness, "nd the theolo$ic"l one o! the )"st

Jud$e%ent. Both %e"nin$s, howeve, h"ve unde$one " t"ns!o%"tion tod"y, t"#in$ "w"y thei

el"tion to ti%e. 'Aisis’ in "ncient %edicine %e"nt " &ud$e%ent, when the docto noted "t the

decisive %o%ent whethe the sic# peson would suvive o die. (he pesent undest"ndin$ o!cisis, on the othe h"nd, e!es to "n enduin$ st"te. 5o this uncet"inty is extended into the

!utue, inde!initely. It is ex"ctly the s"%e with the theolo$ic"l sense< the )"st Jud$e%ent w"s

insep""ble !o% the end o! ti%e. (od"y, howeve, &ud$e%ent is divoced !o% the ide" o!

esolution "nd epe"tedly postponed. 5o the pospect o! " decision is eve less, "nd "n endless pocess o! decision neve concludes.

(oes this mean that the debt crisis, the crisis of state finance, of currency, of the E#, is never

ending

(od"y cisis h"s beco%e "n instu%ent o! ule. It seves to le$iti%i:e politic"l "nd econo%ic

decisions th"t in !"ct dispossess citi:ens "nd depive the% o! "ny possibility o! decision. In It"ly

this is vey cle". ee " $oven%ent w"s !o%ed in the n"%e o! the cisis "nd Belusconi

bou$ht b"c# to powe despite this bein$ b"sic"lly "$"inst the will o! the electo"te. (his$oven%ent is &ust "s ille$iti%"te "s the so*c"lled -uope"n constitution. (he citi:ens o! -uope

%ust %"#e cle" to the%selves th"t this unendin$ cisis = &ust li#e " st"te o! e%e$ency = is

inco%p"tible with de%oc"cy.

hat perspectives then remain for Europe

e %ust st"t by estoin$ the oi$in"l %e"nin$ o! the wod 'cisis’, "s " %o%ent o! &ud$e%ent

"nd choice. o -uope we c"nnot postpone this to the inde!inite !utue. @"ny ye"s "$o " hi$h

o!!ici"l o! the then e%byonic -uope, the philosophe lex"nde >o&?ve, "ssu%ed th"t ho%o

s"piens h"d co%e to the end o! histoy "nd th"t thee wee now only two possibilities le!t. -ithethe '%eic"n w"y o! li!e’, which >o&?ve s"w "s posthistoic ve$et"tion. 8 J"p"nese snobbey,

si%ply $oin$ on celeb"tin$ the e%pty itu"ls o! t"dition now obbed o! "ny histoic"l %e"nin$.

I believe th"t -uope could howeve e"li:e the "lten"tive o! " cultue th"t e%"ins "t the s"%eti%e hu%"n "nd vit"l, bec"use it st"nds in di"lo$ue with its own histoy "nd theeby "c;uies

new li!e.

Europe, understood as culture and not only as economic space, could therefore provide an

answer to the crisis

o %oe th"n two hunded ye"s, hu%"n ene$ies h"ve been !ocused on econo%ics. @"ny



thin$s indic"te th"t the %o%ent h"s peh"ps "ived !o ho%o s"piens to o$"ni:e hu%"n "ction

"!esh, beyond this sin$le di%ension. 8ld -uope c"n pecisely %"#e " decisive contibution to

the !utue hee.

("nsl"ted !o% +e%"n. Disit -ran.furter Allgemeine /eitung , 24 @"y 2013, to e"d the

oi$in"l "ticle.

@oe in EInteviews Eticles

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the endless crisis as an instrument of power agamben

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